Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a magnifying implement, and more particularly to an apparatus having a housing member designed to accommodate prescription bottles of various popular sizes therein in a position wherein a longitudinally moveable magnifying lens slideably mounted in the housing member may be utilized to magnify the print contained on an instruction label located on the side of a prescription bottle.
As people grow older, one of the commonplace afflictions affecting many of them is gradually diminishing eyesight. In particular, one of the most prevalent conditions affecting most people at some point in their lives is the ever-increasing inability to read small print. This can affect the ability of people thusly affected to read everything from a newspaper to highway signs to the characters on a computer screen.
One particular problem of the far-reaching affects of substandard vision is graphically illustrated by its solution, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,889, to Orentreich et al. This reference discloses a woman's lipstick dispenser having a cover with a magnifying lens included therein. The magnifying lens enhances a visually impaired user's ability to read the fine print on the label of the lipstick dispenser.
One particular area in which small characters present a particular problem is the area of medicine and medical devices. Syringes, for example, have small print on the side of the syringe barrel which indicate how much fluid is contained in the syringe. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,581, to Tschischeck, a magnifying attachment for syringes is disclosed which uses a concave lens slideably attached to the outside of a syringe barrel to make the print on the side of the syringe barrel more readable.
It seems that the medical apparatus which has presented one of the most significant challenges is the simple thermometer, which even people with fairly good vision often have trouble reading. The art is replete with examples of proposed solutions to this particular problem, as illustrated by an alternate embodiment of the Tschischeck reference mentioned above, as well as by U.S Pat. No. 2,712,237, to Margolis, by U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,937, to Prisament, and by U.S. Pat. No. 3,052,158, to Sonni. The apparatus taught in these references present various designs for enlarging lens which may be attached to the thermometers, or, alternately, for devices in which thermometers may be placed in order to facilitate reading them easily.
One of the problems in the medical area which affects far more people on a day-to-day basis is the problem of the difficulty or the inability to read the label on a prescription bottle due to the virtually universal use of small print on the label. The potential for serious problems due to an inability or a seriously impaired ability to read the instruction label on a prescription medication bottle is extremely high. The problems vary from not taking a medication as often as prescribed or when prescribed, to taking the medication too often, to taking the medication improperly or in conjunction with another contraindicated medicine, to taking the wrong medication inadvertently due to a similarity in the size of medicine bottles.
It has become a common sight in many homes to see on the shelf on which the medicine bottles are stored a hand-held magnifying glass. Indeed, many pharmacies carry such magnifying glasses and display them near the prescription counter. While this problem has been a common one for many years, the art has produced little to remedy the problem. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,108, to Johnson, a magnifying cap for medicine bottles is disclosed. The Johnson reference certainly represents a step in the right direction, but since the typical medicine bottle cap is only an inch or so in diameter, the magnifying cap is too small to allow an instruction label to be easily read. A clear majority of people would prefer a standard magnifying glass with a three inch lens which can read the entire label.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it provide an apparatus which can be utilized to magnify the instruction label of a medicine bottle. The magnifying element must be of a size to read the entire label without requiring the user to scan back and forth with the magnifier. In addition, the magnifying element must produce a level of magnification allowing the instruction label to be easily read by someone with substandard vision.
It is an additional objective of the present invention that it position the medicine bottle with respect to the magnifying element to provide the optimum level of magnification to the user. In addition, it is desirable that the design of the present invention allow for its use with a variety of different sizes of medicine bottles. Since there are three or four different sizes which are widely used today, the present invention should advantageously accommodate all of them without requiring a difficult adjustment.
The apparatus of the present invention must also be of construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user. In order to enhance the market appeal of the apparatus of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.